Parents...don't let your 16 year old drink and drive

[merc123]

This happend the same night my car got egged...I wondered if it happened to be the people that egged my car. I knew it was serious when they blocked the entire 4-lane road in both directions. Life flighted many out of this one.

From the "reports" I've heard two of the children are now dead and the fetus (wife was pregnant) has spinal injury. Keep the family in your prayers. The surviving (except the drunkards) are in some form of critical condition...

Alcohol-Related Crash in Blue Ridge Kills 6-Year-Old Girl
Updated: Saturday, 02 Jul 2011, 7:44 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 02 Jul 2011, 7:44 PM EDT

By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF/myfoxatlanta

BLUE RIDGE, Ga. - Authorities said alcohol is to blame for the first fatality on a Georgia roadway this Fourth of July weekend. The accident took the life of a 6-year-old girl on vacation with her family from Florida.

A spokesperson for the Georgia State Patrol told FOX 5 News three vehicles were involved in an accident on State Route 515 near Josh Hall Road just after 11:30 p.m. Friday. Investigators said a 16-year-old male was speeding in a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck when it slammed into the back of a van stopped at a traffic light. The van then hit another vehicle, but the driver did not experience serious injuries.

Authorities said a 6-year-old girl inside the van was killed. Her mother, father, and four siblings, ranging in age from 3 to 10, were injured and taken to Fannin Regional Medical Center. The family was on a vacation road trip from Palm Bay, Florida.

Police have arrested the passenger of the pickup. Cody Ray Totherow, 17 of Murphy, North Carolina, has been charged with Possession of Alcohol and Open Container. They said the 16-year-old driver will face charges once the investigation is complete.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/new...-blue-ridge-kills-6-year-old-girl-20110702-tm

 

[georgia357]

Sorry piece of scum. It's always some innocent person that gets hurt or killed by drunk drivers. Prayers sent for the family of the young girl.

 

[chuckb7718]

Note to self.........Don't say it, Chuck! Just don't say it!
Stay on the mods good side and just don't say it!!

 

[merc123]

As I typed my comments it took a lot to not replace the word "drunkards" with some other word...

 

[Luke0927]

Just talking to some friends about something like this last night....if something like this happened and my kids were killed in accident and I was able to get out of the car I would probably shoot the drunk driver on site, I'd say you plead insanity and a jury might let you off easy I know if I was on that jury, I wouldn't convict someone. Hopefully the driver gets what's coming to him some how.

 

[j_seph]

They should be sentenced to the max. if not tortured and hung. I'll have a drink but I will not by any means drive. Some stupid folks in this world. Prayers sent for family

 

[merc123]

Got some more info.

It was a 3 year old boy, 6, 8 and 10 year old girl, two parents and unborn baby.

The kid was 4x the legal limit and was half a second from getting pulled over. The police officer just got in behind him and flipped on the camera and was about to flip the lights seconds before the idiot plowed into the van. Never hit his brakes and was supposedly speeding.

The 3 year old was strapped in a car seat but the impact knocked him out of it and he died. I believe two of the girls died later.

Parents are "ok" with minor injuries. Not sure about the other girl but think she is in critical condition. I think the mom lost the baby though.

I saw the van and truck today. The van rear hatch looked like you had shoved a 3/4" rod into a 9/16" rubber hose. The bumper looked like it had been relocated about where the rear axle would sit. The sheer impact from that truck was unreal and I'm surpised that the parents didn't have severe brain damage or broken necks from the whiplash.

I hope the family sues the bejesus out of the kids and the family. He had no business being out past curfew much less drunk.

 

[germag]

I'm not so sure you can really blame the parents....16 year-olds are stupid and you cannot always control what they do. My 16 year old stepson stole my truck once while I was in the hospital almost dead. There wasn't a lot I or his mother could do about that. He's an idiot. He did about $1,000 worth of damage to my truck. If I could have gotten away with it, they would still be feeding him through a tube. I would certainly have hated it if he had injured or killed someone, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I would have made sure that he was held responsible, though.

I think that this 16 year old and the 17 year old should both be held fully and completely responsible and should be tried as adults and charged with 3 counts of vehicular homicide and should spend the rest of their miserable existences in prison. They have ruined their lives now (hopefully), but they have taken 3 innocent lives. I have no sympathy whatsoever for them.

 

[Robert28]

i don't buy the "he was 16 and too young to know what he was doing" Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----. i was 16 at one time too, drank with the best of them.....BUT i was smart enough to never get behind the wheel of a car. my friends were the same way. the kids these days are just stupid, simple as that. btw what in the world is a 16yr old kid doing driving a 2011 truck??!! sounds like he was spoiled a bit by his parents.

 

[germag]

i don't buy the "he was 16 and too young to know what he was doing" Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----. i was 16 at one time too, drank with the best of them.....BUT i was smart enough to never get behind the wheel of a car. my friends were the same way. the kids these days are just stupid, simple as that. btw what in the world is a 16yr old kid doing driving a 2011 truck??!! sounds like he was spoiled a bit by his parents.

Did someone say that? If they did, I agree with you 100%, but I've been back through the thread and I don't see it....it looks to me like everyone is in agreement that both of them should be held completely accountable for their actions.

As far as the kid driving a 2011 truck....I would imagine it belongs to the parents. It could be the same sort of deal as what happened to me...the kid stole the keys and had the truck without the parents permission. It happens a LOT....like you said, teenagers are stupid....but everybody seems awfully ready to jump on the parents. It may not be their fault. He might just be a delinquent idiot....there's only so much you can do in raising kids. At some point they start making their own decision, good or bad, and there's not much you can do from that point. You can't legally put them out of the house at that age, you can't beat them, the justice system is going to do very, very little to help you....you're just stuck with them until they turn 18. You can put them on restriction, take everything away from them, but they can do whatever they want to and there's really nothing you can do about it until they turn 18. Trust me...in April, when mine turns 18, he's outta here.

 

[merc123]

I asked about the truck also. Apparently his parents are well off... It was the kid's truck.

 

[merc123]

Found this from a family member:

OMG- I think this was the accident that my wife's sister's family was in this morning at 12:30am. They were returning from fireworks and had 4 kids under 10 in a Honda Van. My 6 year old God daughter did not make it.
If this was truly a drunk driving accident, i really feel for that 16 year old kid because we have a huge family and this is NOT going to settle well.
Do we know if the 16 year old survived the accident?

Our 2 year old boy that flew out of the vehicle is in critical condition and may have serious head damage. The two older girls suffered multiple broken bones and are in surgery. The pregnant mother and embedded baby and father are ok.
This is a terrible tragedy but it hurts so much more knowing it was a drunk driver. Jesus people, whats wrong with you?

We are close friends of this beautiful family that was hit. We are heart broken to have heard the news about the babies. We are so sad about little 6 yr old Hannah...yes she has a name...beautiful little blonde, who loved ballett and swimming and her brother and sisters. These are two parents who are the funniest, most loving and involved parents you could EVER meet. If you have ever had the opportunity to sit with them for even 10 minutes, you would be in stitches with laughter, and in awe of thier relationship with their children, and their love for eachother. This is a true tragedy. Thier lives will never be the same. I myself hope this 16 year old pays for the damage he has caused. I think we need to really all pray for the Johnsons right now...for miracles...they are not just "he" or "she", they are real people with real lives that are now changed forever. Please pray for miracles for thsi family-they need them more than anything right now. Please.

 

[germag]

I asked about the truck also. Apparently his parents are well off... It was the kid's truck.

Well....apparently the parents are as big of idiots as the kid is then. Who did you ask that would have knowledge of that and be willing to disclose it?

 

[patchestc]

pray for both families.

 

[merc123]

Well....apparently the parents are as big of idiots as the kid is then. Who did you ask that would have knowledge of that and be willing to disclose it?

Classmate of the 16 year old.

 

[egomaniac247]

Can't blame the parents in this one without knowing them just because the kid had a new truck. We've all done some really stupid things as teenagers that could have turned out a LOT differently too.

I feel terrible for that innocent family who was just driving along.

 

[germag]

Classmate of the 16 year old.

Yeah, I'd put a LOT of stock in that.

 

[germag]

Can't blame the parents in this one without knowing them just because the kid had a new truck. We've all done some really stupid things as teenagers that could have turned out a LOT differently too.

I feel terrible for that innocent family who was just driving along.

Yep. The people that don't have and never have had teenaged kids are ready to jump square in the middle of the parents on this one..."SUE THEM OUT OF EVERYTHING THEY OWN!!!" "PUT THEM IN JAIL!!!" "TAKE THEM OUT AND SHOOT THEM!!"

For God's Sake, it was the KID that did this...not the parents. A 16 or 17 year old kid will do things behind his parent's backs that they would never allow if the kid wasn't so sneaky and did it anyway. If they are going to be little jerks, they have learned very well how to decieve the parents by that age. I sincerely doubt that the parents "let" the kid drive drunk. I would be willing to bet good money that they had no idea that was going on at all and would have been horrified and taken the truck away if they had any idea. If they did know and allowed it to happen, then by all means, sue them out of existence....but I seriously doubt that's the case.

Funny how the ones that have no earthly idea what they are talking about are always the loudest.

Unfortunately, the parents are going to be legally responsible for this little moron's actions anyway. It's likely to completely ruin some folks that have worked hard to get what they have, just because this idiot decided to impress his buddies.

I feel for this kid's parents if things are the way I suspect, but I feel a lot more for the family of the children that were hurt and killed. All of the parents involved are in for an extended, painful ordeal....especially the ones that lost children or have children who were seriously injured by this worthless 16 year-old waste of a human skin.

 

[merc123]

Yeah, I'd put a LOT of stock in that.

Yep. The people that don't have and never have had teenaged kids are ready to jump square in the middle of the parents on this one..."SUE THEM OUT OF EVERYTHING THEY OWN!!!" "PUT THEM IN JAIL!!!" "TAKE THEM OUT AND SHOOT THEM!!"

For God's Sake, it was the KID that did this...not the parents. A 16 or 17 year old kid will do things behind his parent's backs that they would never allow if the kid wasn't so sneaky and did it anyway. If they are going to be little jerks, they have learned very well how to decieve the parents by that age. I sincerely doubt that the parents "let" the kid drive drunk. I would be willing to bet good money that they had no idea that was going on at all and would have been horrified and taken the truck away if they had any idea. If they did know and allowed it to happen, then by all means, sue them out of existence....but I seriously doubt that's the case.

Funny how the ones that have no earthly idea what they are talking about are always the loudest.

Unfortunately, the parents are going to be legally responsible for this little moron's actions anyway. It's likely to completely ruin some folks that have worked hard to get what they have, just because this idiot decided to impress his buddies.

I feel for this kid's parents if things are the way I suspect, but I feel a lot more for the family of the children that were hurt and killed. All of the parents involved are in for an extended, painful ordeal....especially the ones that lost children or have children who were seriously injured by this worthless 16 year-old waste of a human skin.

His dad is a known, prominent business owner...wealthy business owner... Until he's 18 he is the parents responsibility. If they can't handle him then they need to send him somewhere that can...

I'm pretty sure this isn't his first ever time he's violated his driver's license restrictions...let's see what he possibly violated. I believe some could have been mitigated by parents.

Class D Provisional License Conditions
WINNER! • No driving between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. No exceptions

Maybe? • During the first six months after issuance, no driving with passengers who are not
members of the driver’s immediate family;
Very possible. • For the second six month period, no driving with more than one passenger under the age
of 21 who is not a member of the driver’s immediate family;
Good on this one • After one year from the date of issuance, no more than three passengers under the age of
21 who are not members of the driver’s immediate family.


No let's look at the parent's responsibilities:

The Parents’ Role in the Young Driver’s Licensing Process

• Control the child’s driving privileges if he or she is not demonstrating responsible behavior.

• Continue to monitor their child’s driving after receipt of their provisional license, reinforce safety belt use, and limit passengers, cell phone use and other driving distractions.


Dang....guess they didn't take that responsibility. Too many people don't put enough responsibility on the parents. Parents complained that the school took too much into their own hands of students for punishment so they did away with the paddle.


When I got my license I had restrictions. I couldn't be out between the hours of (I think) 10 PM and 6 AM on weekdays. Guess what, if I didn't make it home before 10 PM I didn't have a car the next week to drive to school. I had to ride the school bus. I wasn't the golden child or perfect angel, but we did stupid stuff in a harmless environment...like a cow field.

 

[meatseeker]

This is terrible but lets not forget, not only is the boy to blame but whovever "supplied" his alcohol should be held responsible too. Not saying the kids and parents are not to blame also. When my boy didn't do what he was suppose to do his truck was taken, the second time it was sold.